Sit insCreated By isaac Nesburg

Background

With the start of the non-violent protests led by Civil Rights Leader Martin Luther King Jr., Sit ins became a huge part of protest. MLK was quickly gaining supporters and quickly the African American community was taking part in many different types of non-violent protests across the nation.

During the 1960’s as protesting became bigger and bigger throughout the south, one of the first sit in took place in Greensboro, North Carolina.

This event had many goals. For starters, the main goal of the sit ins was to gain equal respect for all African Americans. To do so African Americans began to use a non-violent tactic introduced by MLK. The tactic was that while the white people who yelled, screamed, kicked, and punched at us we would sit peacefully in our chair and do nothing. We would eventually get on the news and the people of America will see truly how the African American community is being treated.

People involved

Many different people were involved other than the African American community. For example many supporters of the protests were white men and women part of all different types of religion and communities. And on the other side of things police officers were involved as well as radical and non radical pro segregation americans.

One of the most important persons involved in the events was Martin Luther King Jr. If it was for this peaceful civil rights leader, sit ins may have been a lot more violent or may not have happened at all. Also another important group of people to the event was the college students who pretty much created the first sit-in in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Martin Luther King Jr. giving his speech at Washington D.C.

Difficulties and obstacles

These groups were facing all kinds of difficult obstacles. To start, people who participated in these sit-ins were more than likely arrested by police. To add to that, many African Americans who participated in the sit-ins were brutally beat or wounded by the police officers who took them away to be arrested. Also, even before the police arrived, whites at the location where sit ins took place poorly treated the participants. The African Americans were punched, kicked, screamed at, had things thrown at them, etc. while peacefully waiting to be served.

They overcame these obstacles by always reminding themselves about their goals in all of their effort. They kept reminding themselves that if the gave up now, they would never see the change they all dreamed of. They knew it would be a rough road for them but the outcome some day in the end would be worth it all.

Impacts and lasting effects

This event impacted today in many ways. For starters, the sit-ins of the 1960’s helped to lead to eventually civil rights for african americans. If african americans never got the civil rights they worked for the world would be a very different place today.

More forms a protests for equal rights

Relating the 1960 sit-in protests to today

One modern day event that relates to the 1960 civil rights sit-ins is the sit-ins and protests of the Black Lives Matter organization. All around America a group called Black Lives Matter has been fighting to end discrimination against African Americans, especially about police brutality. Around America police violence on African Americans is believed to be on the rise and Black Lives Matter is tired of it. So, when things like another man getting shot and killed by a police officer in LA, California happen, Black Lives Matter takes action. Hundreds gathered outside the City Hall and many stayed there for days demanding justice. Just like the protests from the 1960’s the african americans from Black Lives Matter wanted justice and used similar approaches to get it.

Sources:

The Sit-In Movement. (n.d.). Retrieved April 25, 2017, from http://www.ushistory.org/us/54d.asp